Internal-combustion engine



H. I. CARMODY.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.26, 1918-. 1,378,092. nted May 17, 1921.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

ATTEV l/VI/ENTOI? H. J. CARMODY.

' INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.26, 191s.

Patented .May 17, 1921.

3 SHEE,TS-SHEET 2.

ummummmn WWI Fig-5..

I M Chad; ATTORNEY H. J. CARMODY.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.26. 1918- I I Patented May 17, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

HAROLD J. CAIRMODY, OF BROOKLYN MANOR, NEW YORK, -.ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOSEPH. A. FAUROT, OF NEW YORK, N..Y.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 17,1921.

Application filed April 26, 1918. Serial N0.230,875.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD J. CARMooY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn Manor, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact descrip tion, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates generally to internal combustion engines, and with respect to its more specific features to valves and valve operating mechanisms therefor.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an internal combustion engine of few parts and of simple construction, such as to assure quiet, smooth and efficient'operation, and not easily susceptible to overheating; one that is durable, yet at the same time relatively inexpensive to construct and maintain.

Another object of the invention is to provide a practical valve mechanism of comparatively few parts for internal combustion engines having one or more cylinders, the number of parts comprising the valve mechanism being substantially the same whether the engine comprises a single cylinder or a plurality of cylinders. I

Another object of the invention is the provision of an efficient rotary valve whereby the opening and closing of the ports between the intake and exhaust manifolds and the cylinders may be effected quickly and positively, and to insure an effective opening into the cylinder for the intake and exhaust of the gases, and a quick and effective closure of the cylinder ports at the required times.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in an internal combustion engine having a rotary valve, a valve-operating mechanism whereby the operation of the valve is positively synchronized with the rotation of the crank shaft of the engine and with the stroke of the pistons in the respective cylin-' ders, the mechanism being simple, light and inexpensive in construction and easily ac cessible for ready adjustment or replacement of parts.

Another object is to provide a gearing particularly suitable and efficient for operatinga rotary valve of a multiple cylinder engine.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

Referring more specifically to the drawings forming part of this specification, and wherein similar reference characters refer to" similar parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section, of a multiple cylinder internal combustion engine embodying the invention;

Figs. 2 and 3 are views of details of the valve-actuating mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a view of one valve member; Fig.

5 is a. view of another valve member; Fig. 6 is a detail of construction; v

Fig. 7 is a perspective view, partly in section, of a cylinder head incorporating applicants valve mechanism, and a casing therefor;

Fig. 8 is a block;

Fig. 9 is a perspective generally diagrammatic view of a modified construction in which the rotary valves are disposed at the sides of the cylinders Fig. 10 is a fragmental View showing a lubricating system for the engine;

Fig. 11 is a perspective detail view of a valve carrier which may form part of the casing; and A Fig. 12 is a view ofthe inner rotary valve member of Fig. 9. In the accompanying drawings the invention is shown incorporated in a four cycle, four cylinder internal combustion engine, having cylinders 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively, pistons 5, 6, 7, and 8, respectively, piston rods 9, 10, '11, and 12, respectively, and crank shaft 13. .The cylinders and the crank shaft are inclosed by a casing 14 in theusual manner, the casing being provided with passages 15 forming water jackets about the cylinders for cooling purposes.

An intake port 16 and an exhaust port 17 are provided in the head of each cylinder.

perspective view of a cylinder These ports communicate through the valve mechanism 18 with the intake manifold 19 and with the exhaust manifold 20 of the engine, respectively, the valve mechanism performing the usual function of permitting or preventing the flow of gases between the cylinders and the intake and exhaust manifolds. In Fig. 1 of the drawings the valve mechanism is shown to be surrounded by a casing member 21 extending longitudinally across the tops of the cylinders, and contains ports 22 and 23, respectively, registering with ports 16 and 17 in the cylinder heads. Valve casing 21 may be secured to the cylinder heads in any suitable manner,

as by bolts 24' connecting shoulders 26 and- 27 on casings 14 and 21, respectively.

In the present embodiment the valve mechanism comprises two concentric valve members 28 and 29 rotatably mounted (see Figs. 4 and 5). Valve member28 comprises a tube having transverse ports 30 in its side and is mounted for snug rotation in valve casing 21. Valve member 29 comprises a rod or solid shaft having transverse ports 31, and is mounted for snug rotation in valve member 28. The ports in each of the valve members are so positioned that, at predetermined times, ports in one member will register with ports in the other, to form passageways through the valve members for the passage of gases therethrough and permit the gases to flow between the cylinders and the intake and exhaust manifold of the engine while at other times these passages are closed. The intake and exhaust manifolds 19 and 20 are connected to the casing n u f 1n. any suitable manner, and communlcation is established with ports in the valve members through ports 30' in the valve casing.

' It is to be understood that the ports in the valve members are so placed that at prede termined times during the operation of the valve there will be direct communication from each cylinder with the intake manifold ofthe engine, and at other predetermined times with the exhaust manifold of the engine, and. that at certain times the passageway willbecome closed and remain closed for a predetermined time.

In the present embodiment, the operation of the valveamd the opening and closing of the desired ports of the cylinders is effected and synchronized with the revolution of the crank shaft and with the position of wheel is securely fastened to a shaft 35 on which is mounted'a bevel gear 36. Valve member 28v is provided with a bevel gear 37, and valve member 29 is provided with beveled gear 38, which gears mesh with gear 36 on opposite sides, so that when gear 36 is rotated, gears 37 and 38, and the respective mlve members rotate in reverse directions. If desired this valve actuating mechanism may be inclosed in a suitable casing, which may comprise casing member 39 secured to cylinder casing 14 and to valve casing 21 by a series of bolts and nuts, as illustrated in the drawings at 40, and may be utilized to provide a bearing for shaft 35. Casing 39 may also be provided with flange 42 bearing against the end of valve member 29 to hold it securely against longitudinal movement in its bearing, and valve member 28 may be supplied with a collar 43 adapted to bear against valve casing 21 to hold this valve member against longitudinal movement.

It is to be understood that the movements of the valvemembers relative to that of the crank shaft are governed by the shape of the thread 32 on the spiral wheel, the number of teeth on wheel 34, and the relative sizes of beveled gear wheels 36, 37 and 38. In the embodiment here illustrated, the crank shaft makes four turns to each revolution of either valve member. This gives a four cycle action.

By the reverse movement of the valve members a quick opening and closing of the ports is obtained, and it is thereby permitted to make the ports somewhat large compared to the size of the cylinder and thereby insure the easy flow of the gases into and from the cylinders.

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate the rotary valve device associated as a component part of a removable cylinder head, and offers a practical and efiicient means for modifying many multi-cylinder engines of standard construction so as to incorporate rotary valve mechanism therewith instead of the customary puppet valves, etc., the modified enginethus acquiring all the advantages of an engine fitted with the rotary or sleeve valve.

In the illustration the' cylinder block of the engine is illustrated at50 and comprises cylinders 51, with water jackets 52, having passages 53 generally similar to the other illustrated form. he numeral 54 indicates the usual water inlet pipe connecting the radiator with the water jackets about the cylinders, and 55 indicates holes in the cylinder block adapted to receive stud bolts used to bolt the cylinder head in place upon the cylinder block. The cylinder head is indicated at 56, and comprises the water jacket construction, having water passages 57 adapted to register with passages in the cylinder block. -The head is supplied with the usual pipe 59 whereby the water jacket is connected to the radiator for cooling purposes. The head contains perforations 58 adapted to cotiperate with holes 55 in the cylinder block to permit the bolting of the head to the cylinder block. A portion of this head is shaped to form a waterjacket casing for applicants rotary valve members. The casing is indicated at 60 having water jacket 61 communicating with the water jacket in the head over the cylinders. The valve members are indicated at 28 and 29, respectively, carrying the gears 37 and 38, respectively, as before described, which gears may also be incased, if desired. Between the portion of the head over the cylinders and the valve members are supplied the inlet and exhaust ports indicated at 16 and 17, the valve members operating in the manthey may be supported in a tubular valve ner previously described. This head and valve casing may be cast in a single piece and, as stated, is easily fitted to the cylinder block of many engines of standard construction. Or the engine may of course be constructed originallywith the removable type of head and associated valve.

Instead of arranging the rotary valve membersas heretofore specifically described,

carrier 62 comprlsing an elongated .box, the lnner surface of which provldes a ournal 1n which the outer rotary valve member 28 of the pair of concentric rotatable valve members bears, the inner rotary valve member 63 being in the present instance preferably hollow or tubular, as illustrated in Flg. 12,

v one end, 64, being closed, and the opposite end provided with a port 65 substantially on the axis of the member for the introduction of lubricating oil. -The carrier 62 is provided with inlet and exhaust ports or passageways 66 and 67, and the inner valve member is also provided with inlet and exhaust ports or passageways 68 and 69, respectively, comprising, in the present instance, transversely disposed pipes to sealthese ports from communication with the interior of the tubular member. The numerals 70 and 71 indicate oil ports in the respective valve members, those in the inner member communicating with the interior thereof, and being adapted to convey oil to between the valve members, and also being adapted to register with the ports 71 in the outer member to convey lubricating oil to the bearing of the outer valve member. The end of the casing 39, as illustrated at the right hand end of Fig. 1, may be utilized as a continuationor extension of the valve carrier 62 so that the transmission gearing serving to rotate the valve members on the crank shaft 13 may becompletely housed and enabled to run in the lubricating oil. The numeral 72 indicates a centrifugal oil pump, the piston of which is operated by the crank shaft, the operation of the pump at various places, as for instance, at 73 and 74 for the more free flow of the lubricating oil. It will be observed that the port 65 in the inner valve member is disposed at such a point that the inner valve member becomes a receptacle below the level of this port so that, in the event that the supply of lubricating oil should be cut off, suflicient oil will be retained in the member 63 to lubricate the adjacent parts, the port 65, as arranged, serving to maintain a predetermined level of oil in the innervalve member.

The valve carrier 62 is provided with flanges 75 having bolt openings 76 for the convenient fastening of the carrier alongside the several engine cylinders. in proper position so that the inlet and exhaust ports 66 and 67 shall register with the similar ports in the several cylinders. In this wise many forms of engine having valve operating mechanism of a widely different character from that herein disclosed may be supplied with the herein disclosed valves and valve operating mechanism, it being merely required to remove the usual valves and fasten the valve carrier 62 in position alongside the cylinders. Thereupon the inlet and exhaust manifolds 76' and 77 which may have been removed or bent aside may be fastened to the outer face of the carrier 62. 7

It will be noted that the valve members 28 and 29 are disposed concentrically to each other and rotate in opposite directions; also that each engine cylinder has two ports 22, 23, which are in different planes crossing the axis of rotation of the valve members.

It will be further noted that in the same planes as the engine ports 22, 23 are the valve ports '30, 31, so arranged that at one instant a port 30 of the valve member 28 and a port 31 of the valve member 29 are brought into registry with each other and with an engine port 22, and at another instant another port 30 and another port 31 are brought into registry with each other and with an engine port 23'.-

This action enables one of the engine ports of each cylinder to serve as an intake port, and the other of the engine ports to serve as an exhaust port.

.By this arrangement of the mechanism the rotation of the valve members 28 and 29 in opposite directions brings each cylinder into condition for intake, compression, explosion and exhaust.

The staggering of the ports 30 and 31 causes the cylinders to fire in a predeter- -mined order of succession.

The spiral cam gearing is so proportioned and arranged that the valve members 28, 29

though rotated positively and each at the same speed as the other, are as a unit rotated at varying speeds, dependent upon the necessity for quickly opening and quickly closing communication between the cylinders nd the manifolds.

It will also be observed that although the engine has four cylinders and might have a larger number, the number of valve members 28, 29 is only two, and that each of these valve members rotates very slowly as compared with the speed of the crank shaft. Thus the valve mechanism as a whole is very simple, and the degree of movement going on within. it is reduced to a minimum. Again, as each valve member 28, 29 is quite lengthy, the amount of lost motion is greatly reduced, vibration is lessened, shocks are avoided, and pounding is prevented.

The cylinders are not in immediate proximity to the manifolds, and the valve members 28, 29 are out of contact with the movable pistons. Not much heating and very little friction is developed.

By having the valve members 28, 29 comparatively long and few in number, the strains upon the connecting rods are kept 'down about as low as possible, and the strains upon the bearings are accordingly reduced.

The practical advantage in the form and arrangement of the parts whereby a puppet valve engine can be readily and cheaply converted into an engine of the general type here contemplated is considerable.

Although many advantages and efficiencies result from the association of rotary valve members, as described, with the form of gearing herein disclosed for transmitting motion thereto from the crank shaft, it will be understood that viewed'in some aspects the invention is not to be regarded as limited to the special type of transmission mechanism disclosed, but that other forms might be employed, as for instance, elliptical gearing or scroll gearing.

Thus by the above described construction are accomplished, among others, the objects hereinbefore referred to.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from thescope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a device of the character described the combination of a pair of valve members disposed concentrically to each other and revoluble upon a common axis, said valve members each being provided with transversely disposed ports located in different planes crossing said axis, some ports of each valve being staggered so as to cross other ports of the same valve, and a plurality of engine cylinders each provided with an inlet port located in one of said planes and with an exhaust port located in another of said planes, the arrangement being such that by the rotation of said valve members first a pair of transverse ports in one plane are brought into registry with an inlet port of the engine, and then a different pair of transverse ports in another plane of the same valve, crossing the ports thus brought into registry with the inlet port of the engine are brought into registry with an exhaust port of the engine.

2. In a device of the character described the combination of a pair of valve members disposed concentrically to each other and revoluble upon a common axis, said valve members each being provided with transversely disposed ports located in planes crossing said axis, one of said transversely disposed ports crossing another transversely in another planeare brought into registry with an exhaust port of the engine.

3. In a device of the character described the combination of a pair of valve members disposed concentrically to each other and revoluble upon a common axis, said valve members each being of considerable length and provided with a number of transverse orts distributed along its length and crossmg each other, said transverse ports being disposed in planes crossing said axis, and a plurality of engine cylinders each provided with an inlet port located in one of said planes and with an exhaust port located in another of said planes, the arrangement being such that by therotation of said valve members first a pair of transverse ports in one plane are brought into registry with an inlet port of the engine, then a different pair of transverse ports in a different plane are brought into registry with an exhaust port of the same engine, the transverse ports being so staggered that at a particular moment the cycle in one cylinder is different from the c cle of another cylinder.

4:. 11 an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a pair of rotary valve members fitted concentrically to each other and revoluble in opposite directions, one of said valve members comprising a solid shaft having ports extending diametrically through it and so arranged that one of said ports crosses another of said ports means for actuating said valve members, and a valve casin provided with inlet and. ex-

haust ports, 'isposed adjacent the path of travel of the ports of said valve member havirig the form of a solid shaft.

5. 11 an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a tubular valve member having transverse ports, a solid valve member having transverse ports, one of the ports of said solid valve member crossing another port thereof, said valve memberbeing revolubly mounted Within said tubular valve member; and means for turning said valve members continuously but at varying rates of speed.

6., In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a plurality of cylinders, a Water jacketed casing therefor, a pairof rotary valves supported by said casing, one of said valves having a tubular form and the other the form of'a solid cylinder, both of said valves having ports to be brought into and out of registry with ports of the valve casing, and gearing connected with said valves for the purpose "of turning the same continuously but at varying speeds.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.- I

HAROLD J.LCARMODY.

Witnesses: i

J. W. ANDERSON, O. J. KULBERG. 

